For us Jews every day is a day we thank Hashem for both the open and hidden miracles, those we know of and those we may never find out about, that sustain us every day. Yet, we live in the US where there is an official holiday specifically dedicated to the giving of thanks. Some Jews celebrated this day, because it is an official American festivity, others do not because they feel one must equally thank the Almighty every day – even every moment – of one’s existence, rather than once a year on a specific day.

It may be a bit late to start cooking the turkey for this evening, but this is a delicious recipe that can be made at any time, whether for Shabbos, whether for a holy day, or any festive occasion. Lévana in her class, two Mondays ago, featured the following:

Ingredients:

1 cup white wine

1 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons ground pepper

6 cups water

1 12-14 pound turkey, frozen OK, at room temperature

4 mackintosh apples, unpeeled, diced

8 thin parsnips, or 4 larger ones, diced

2 large heads fennel, cut into thin wedges

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 sprigs sage, leaves only, chopped coarsely

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the wine, maple syrup, mustard, pepper and water in a bowl. Place the turkey breast side down in a (real) baking dish, and pour the mixture over it. Cover the pan loosely with foil, and bake 2 ½ hours. Turn the turkey over, breast side up. Bake uncovered 1 more hour, or a little longer, until the juices of the turkey run clear and the skin looks a nice golden color. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, and let it rest a few minutes before slicing. Transfer all but 1 cup of the liquid to a saucepan, and reduce them on a high flame until it thickens to the consistency of maple syrup: this is your gravy. You will end up with about 3 cups of gravy. Meanwhile, raise the temperature to 475 degrees. Add the second set of ingredients. Give a good mix to the veggies, and roast about 25 minutes, or a little longer, until very tender and roasted.

Slice the turkey, and place in a platter, with the roasted vegetables all around, and pour the gravy over the turkey and vegetables.

This year we feature yom tov recipes again and we’ll start this year’s series with one of Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum‘s dishes, from her new book The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen.

Photo by: Meir Pliskin

Cranberry Apricot Bread Pudding

I often whip up this treat after a party, when I look to recycle my leftover bread. Attention gluten- free diners: This is for you too!

Any bread will do as long as it is not too crusty (in other words, don’t use baguette or ciabatta!). You will love the kick and the bold ruby-colored specks the cranberries add. Nothing to it: All aboard-one step and you’re done! Individual desserts: Pour into greased muffin molds and reduce the baking time to about 45 minutes.

Sometimes cranberries can be hard to find, like in this Rosh Hashanah holiday season, so I am making the pudding with apples, which is every bit as delicious. I have included the apple variation, every bit as delicious and as pretty.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except cranberries by hand in a bowl, breaking up the bread and preserves as you go. Fold in the cranberries. Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan, or a greased 10-inch round pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or a little longer, until the pudding looks nice and puffy, and the center is firm. Serve warm or at room temperature, alone or with caramel sauce (recipe follows), and a scoop of sorbet or vanilla ice cream. Makes a dozen servings.

Caramel Sauce

Another glowing example of a treat known as dairy that doesn’t in the least suffer from a dairy-free adaptation, au contraire! (Go ahead and multiply the recipe if you would like-it keeps very well.)

1 cup Sucanat

½ cup agave syrup

⅓ cup water

¾ cup dairy-free milk, low-fat OK

⅓ cup soy or rice milk powder

3 tablespoons brandy or rum

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

Bring the Sucanat, agave, and water to boil in a small saucepan, stirring. When it comes to a boil, stop stirring and cook until thick and a deep amber color, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until perfectly smooth, then carefully add to the saucepan (to avoid splattering). Cook another 3 minutes on a medium flame, whisking. Makes about 2½ cups. Store refrigerated in a glass jar.

Monday, September 12th:

You may have trouble going back to ordering in a Chinese restaurant after you realize how superior homemade is, thanks to all the glorious Asian flavors. We will never know why Chinese cookies are called Chinese, but we do know they are fabulous!

Although the price is $65.00 per person for the above tasting, you can a 2 for 1 deal IF you email: info@kosherwinesociety.com AND mention The Kosher Scene Radio Internet Show OR The Kosher Scene blog and my first name (Chaim). at: info@kosherwinesociety.com. You must contact them today, no later than 6:30pm. Tell them you want the 2 for 1 deal.

This past Monday eve, SYR and I attended Lévana‘s Dinner and a Show: Light Italian Feast. As usual it was enjoyable, educational and absolutely DELICIOUS! Certainly one of the best cooking classes I’ve ever attended.

We especially liked the Cioppino and Lévana graciously allowed us to post her recipe:

Cioppino

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic

4 ribs celery, peeled

2 red peppers

1 large onion, quartered

1 fennel bulb, quartered, centers removed, sliced-thin

3 leeks, darkest parts removed

1 large can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

2 cups dry white wine

6 cups water

6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground

2 good pinches saffron

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon anise and fennel seeds

Good pinch cloves

Good pinch red pepper flakes

2 2-ounce can anchovies, drained and rinsed

1 side salmon (about 3 pounds), cut in large cubes

1 pound flaked mock crab

1 large bunch flat parsley, minced

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy wide bottom pot. In a food processor coarsely grind the garlic, celery, pepper and onion. Add the ground mixture to the pot, with the leeks, and sautè until translucent. Reduce to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Add the fish and parsley and cook just 5 more minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, and serve with good toasted bread or croutons.

Though it took me more 60 years to even taste fish, I can assure you (as does, SYR) that these was an incredibly tasty soup with a rich array of subtle flavors. Considering the ingredients… I can actually say…. it’s good for you, as well!

Originating among France’s Burgundy peasantry, this dish was elevated to the status of haute cuisine by none other than the King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings (as the French press and Kaiser Wilhelm II referred to him) – Auguste Escoffier. Julia Child in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, refers to Boeuf Bourguignon as ”certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.”

While looking for a kosher version that might do justice to Ms. Child’s praises, I came across this scrumptious recipe in Lévana Kirschenbaum‘s latest book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen, page 164:

Boeuf Bourguignon

Spend a wonderful evening with a few French classics and some wine to go with dinner! By the way, my bourguignon has been included in Joan Schwartz’s charming book, deceptively innocent, called Meat and Potatoes. My secret ingredient is crème de cassis, the wonderful black currant liqueur.

This dish reheats very well and improves with age, so go ahead and make it a day or two ahead.

4 pounds beef or bison shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes for stew

6 cups water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 cups dry wine

1/4 cup crème de cassis

2 large tomatoes, diced small

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only(or throw in the sprigs in whole, but don’t forget to discard them at the end of cooking)

On a stove top: Place beef, water, and oil in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook covered for 2 hours. Add the garlic, wine, creme de cassis, tomatoes, pepper, and bay leaves and cook for 30 more minutes. Add thyme, carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook for 30 minutes. The meat should be fork tender, Transfer meat and all vegetables on platter with a slotted spoon. If the liquid left in the pot is too thin, reduce it on a high flame until it is thickened, the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the reduced liquid over the whole dish and serve hot. Will make 8 to 10 servings.

With a Crock-Pot: Layer all the ingredients except the water (no water) in a 6-quart Crock-Pot, in the order they were given. Set the Crock-Pot on low in the morning. It will be ready for dinner (10 to 12 hours total cooking time).

Variation: Try the dish using dark stout beer instead of wine, as my daughter in law Ruthie does.

$32.00 per person, tax and gratuities not included. All wine, beer and alcohol billed separately.
Any item ordered, not on the Prefix will be billed separately

May not be used in conjunction with ANY other special

APPETIZER

Combination Platters:

Humus, Babaganuosh, Turkish Salad, Tahini

Mixed Green Salads

Assorted Breads

ENTREE

Eighteen Mixed Grill Kebob Special Combo Platter:

Chicken

Beef

Side Dishes: Choice of 2

grilled vegetables

french fries

mashed potatoes

basmati rice

DESSERT

Coffee/tea

Assorted Rugelach or Slice of Cake

Cold beverage (non alcohol) included

The food’s delicious, the price is very reasonable, the portions are generous, the ambiance is elegantly casual, a perfect eatery to take your wife, your date or the family. Go ahead, treat yourself! All of you deserve it. (For this Prix Fixe, please print out the following .pdf)

With the Nine Days fast approaching, tonight’s cooking demo by Lévana features:

Monday, July 25th

The meatless feast. Gluten-free

The nine days are almost upon us. Thank Goodness we hear less and less grumbling about being “limited” to meatless dining: Incidentally, this is the way we eat at home all week, so no hardship here, only delicious treats, with sizzling international flavors.

When I’m doing some serious cooking for a group of family or friends, with a limited amount of time to get the job done, I take a pass on my more fluff-and-glitz cookbooks and gravitate towards the ones that I can rely on to provide me with clear concise foolproof instructions, guaranteed reliable delicious results delivered with relative ease.

And that’s precisely what you can expect from Lévana Kirschenbaum’s new cookbook The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen – Glorious Meals Pure and Simple.

Though aesthetically the book’s layout is rather ordinary looking, the content is superb. It’s jam-packed with healthy mains, soups, salads, pastas, beads and desserts; aside from the general index, the cookbook includes a Passover index and a gluten-free index, with recipe notations indicating gluten free or gluten free adaptable. The recipes and text reflect a seasoned master chef who poured her culinary heart and soul into this cookbook. All content is meticulously organized and the format though visually lackluster nonetheless delivers the author’s usual witty humor and éclat in a most lively entertaining way.

Truly a hitchhiker’s guide to all things good-for-you and delicious, you’ll get never-ending use out of this comprehensive culinary work. The variations that accompany the recipes are awesome as are the tips and running commentary that weave through the pages. It’s like having a master chef or super balabusta mom right there with you preparing your best. Meir Pliskin’s photographs are tastefully done though the publisher’s cropping and cheap printing is somewhat disappointing. Lisa Young’s nutritional info though not revolutionary in content, serves as a useful reminder of healthy choices.

From the book, on page 171:

Roasted Vegetables GFP

Everyone likes a plate of grilled veggies, to eat as is or to use as a filling for sandwiches. I have chosen to share the most ridiculously simple way. First of all, my “grilled” vegies are roasted, requiring no turning over and no maintenance. Second, the trick is endives, radishes, brussel sprouts and fennel; but you will roast carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes separately because they have a longer cooking time. Roast beets all by themselves so they don’t bleed into your other veggies, or use the wonderful golden beets now available at all good produce stores. For all roasting, remember, one layer, no piling! Lining the baking sheet with foil reduces, or sometimes eliminates, cleaning.

When the vegetables are roasted, go ahead and get a little fancier, if you wish, toss in a little olive oil, chopped fresh basil, a few drops of balsamic vinegar and a little ground pepper. Most often I add nothing at all!

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a large cookie sheet (you might need 2) with foil. Spray heavily with vegetable spray. Place the vegetables snuggly and in one layer on the cookie sheet.

Spray heavily again with vegetable spray. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables look slightly charred. The mushrooms (or string beans or asparagus) might be ready first. Slice the mushrooms on a bias when they are cool enough to handle.

The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen cookbook is all about eating right without missing out on taste or style. The key is using healthy, wholesome, fresh ingredients combining flavors with such mastery your palate will think there is magic at play. It’s really the years of trial and error honing skills that have truly reached their apex of expertise. Lévana epitomizes her own quoting of Antoine de Saint Exupery’s words (at the bottom of page 17): “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Please make certain to register to the demo, as the venue has moved to my apartment!

We grew up eating no end of salads at almost every meal: Is it any wonder we loved our veggies and ate them without any prompting? I am even including a dessert salad. True to form, we will bake an authentic Moroccan bread to go with the feast so we don’t leave a drop of sauce behind (this bread is the only item on the menu that will not be gluten-free).

Registrations: A gentle reminder – Please register at least two days before any cooking class demo so A) We know for sure we have a demo going, and B) We have ample servings!

P.S. Throw in a C) – It makes my life easier :-) P.P.S. Throw in a D) I’ll give you a free signed copy of my new cookbook if you bring a new friend!

Also starting tomorrow you can take advantage of a great, reasonably priced menu at 18 Restaurant:

240 East 81st Street, New York – (212) 517-2400

THE KOSHER SCENE SPECIAL DINNER PRIX FIXE MENU

$32.00 per person, tax and gratuities not included. All wine, beer and alcohol billed separately.
Any item ordered, not on the Prefix will be billed separately

May not be used in conjunction with ANY other special

APPETIZER

Combination Platters:

Humus, Babaganuosh, Turkish Salad, Tahini

Mixed Green Salads

Assorted Breads

Photo by: seamlessweb.com

ENTREE

Eighteen Mixed Grill Kebob Special Combo Platter:

Chicken

Beef

Side Dishes: Choice of 2

grilled vegetables

french fries

mashed potatoes

basmati rice

DESSERT

Coffee/tea

Assorted Rugelach or Slice of Cake

Cold beverage (non alcohol) included

The food’s delicious, the price is very reasonable, the portions are generous, the ambiance is elegantly casual, a perfect eatery to take your wife, your date or the family. Go ahead, treat yourself! All of you deserve it. (For this Prix Fixe, please print out the following .pdf)

The Shavuos Recipe Contest, which we announced on May 12th, has so far netted only 11 entries. Come now, gentle readers, we know there are some great cooks out there, please send us your favorite dairy recipes for a chance to win a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses.

Meanwhile, having attended Lévana’s delicious Shavuos themed Dinner and a Show this past Monday, she graciously agreed to share two recipes:

Cold soups would always be a thrill if only they were made with full-bodied and full-flavored veggies, as they are here. No stock or broth whatsoever! Bouillon cubes? Let’s not even go there!

There are several variations you might enjoy on this theme, keeping as always a short and sweet ingredient selection: Broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus instead of the watercress and zucchini; potatoes, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower instead of the celery root. Play with all the possibilities!

The immersion blender is a wonderfully nifty tool, inexpensive and portable (it will fit in a drawer), that allows you to blend your soup directly and in one shot right in your pot. No transferring, no mess. Just make sure there are no bones in the soup, or you will break your blade.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

4 large leeks, sliced

1 large celery knob, diced

2 large zucchini, cut in large chunks

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 quarts (8 cups) water

2 cups dry white wine

Salt to taste

4 bunches watercress, stems and leaves

Good pinch nutmeg

4 cups cold milk or non-dairy milk

Pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent.

Add the celery, zucchini, turmeric, water, wine and salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, 30 minutes.

Stir in the watercress and cook only a few seconds, until wilted. Turn off the flame.

The remaining ingredients and cream the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust the texture and seasonings.

Chill the soup.

As a kid growing up in Montevideo, Uruguay, I had to contend with two major handicaps:

The first neighborhood we lived in was mostly Italian and we were the only Jews in our building, the lone Jewboy was a natural target…

I was extremely overweight and couldn’t run too well, that much better for the nabe’s bullies.

My saintly mother (aleha Hasholom!) decided she’d become the best Italian cook in the neighborhood. Why? So that everyone would want to be invited over for a meal and thus, out of pure self interest, stop beating up the very fat Jewish kid… One of the favorites was polenta, here’s Lévana’s own version:

Please ignore those insipid cooked polenta rolls you find in the supermarket: Making the polenta base takes minutes, and is the bulk of the work for this delicious dish, which will serve a good dozen guests! Au Gratin just means it is topped with a crust: Yum!

This is only one of the wonderful polenta possiblities: You will love to explore them, as it is not only delicious but very nutritious, and gluten-free to boot. You can:

Eat the polenta as is, hot and un-assembled (in other words, only the first step of the recipe) as the grain for a main course.

Thin it with a little water, garlic and minced basil, maybe a couple diced tomatoes for a great soup

Cut the cooled polenta in cubes or triangles and put it right under your broiler flame

Whenever I go to 18 Restaurant, whatever else I may eat, I gotta have the Yemenite Meat Soup. Tasty and just spicy enough!

They have all been on our show before, except for Mrs. Berkowitz (who is a fascinating individual in her own right), but are back per listeners’ requests. What better venue than to have all of them together in one place, having a nice conversation, enjoying a meal and delighting you with their knowledge, humor and passion for all things food?

Won’t you join us, this evening at 7:30pm, at 18 Restaurant(240 E 81st St, New York NY10065; Tel: 212.517.2400) where you can meet our guests in person and partake of the restaurants delicious, yet reasonably priced fare?

Last Wednesday, we had the pleasure of hosting master photographer Irving Schild. He spoke to us about a fascinating new book project, he’s currently working on, about Jewish communities coming back to life in Eastern Europe, as well as some others prospering in more exotic parts of the globe. If you missed that show you can hear the archive here at: Talking with Irving Schild.